1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and apparatus for controlling the operation of “lean-burn” internal combustion engines used in motor vehicles to obtain improved engine and/or vehicle performance, such as improved vehicle fuel economy or reduced overall vehicle emissions.
2. Background Art
The exhaust gas generated by a typical internal combustion engine, as may be found in motor vehicles, includes a variety of constituent gases, including hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and oxygen (O2). The respective rates at which an engine generates these constituent gases are typically dependent upon a variety of factors, including such operating parameters as air-fuel ratio (λ), engine speed and load, engine temperature, ambient humidity, ignition timing (“spark”), and percentage exhaust gas recirculation (“EGR”). The prior art often maps values for instantaneous engine-generated or “feedgas” constituents, such as HC, CO and NOx, based, for example, on detected values for instantaneous engine speed and engine load.
To limit the amount of engine-generated constituent gases, such as HC, CO and NOx, that are exhausted through the vehicle's tailpipe to the atmosphere as “emissions,” motor vehicles typically include an exhaust purification system having an upstream and a downstream three-way catalyst. The downstream three-way catalyst is often referred to as a NOx “trap”. Both the upstream and downstream catalyst store NOx when the exhaust gases are “lean” of stoichiometry and release previously stored Nox for reduction to harmless gases when the exhaust gases are “rich” of stoichiometry.
Significantly, in order to maximize the NOx-storage capacity of the trap, it is important to fully purge the trap of stored NOx. The prior art teaches use of a “switching” oxygen sensor (HEGO) positioned downstream of the trap, by which to detect, during a purge event, a change of the downstream exhaust gas from a near-stoichiometric air-fuel ratio to a rich air-fuel ratio, at which point the trap is believed to be “purged” of stored NOx. Unfortunately, because the downstream exhaust gas is likely to go slightly rich of the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio before the trap is completely purged of stored NOx, the termination of a purge event based upon the switching of a downstream HEGO sensor is likely to provide a premature indication of such a purge. An incomplete purge and, hence, a subsequent reduction of the actual NOx-storage capacity of the trap, results.